Chirashi Bowl

Nothing fancy here as far as ingredients. But it was a yummy Whole30 compliant lunch. Down to the 100% natural wasabi and Coconut amnios instead of soy sauce. Which I will say neither are as good as what I'm used to, which is bright green not real wasabi and soy sauce. 

Seafood Stock

Instant Pot seafood stock.

Here's a an easy seafood stock to make whenever the stock bags in your freezer get full. You have stock bags right? Labeled seafood, beef, chicken, veggie... pork? If not start some. Put vegetable scraps, stems of cilantro and parsley in them. Chicken bones, beef bones. Once full, pull them out and make a stock.
Things I don't put in there

organ meats

broccoli

cauliflower

potatoes

onion skins

asparagus

peppers

cabbage

There's probably more, but I can't think of any right now.

Dinner En Papillote

Fish En Papillote and Rambutan

This is still one of my favorite ways to serve fish. I think because it's an "all in one" meal and we all love it. It's a great way to get the kid to eat vegetables. There's also very minimal clean up, which is a huge plus for me. You can find the method here in this post for Tilapia En Palillote. But you can use any fish you like, just remember that some fish, like salmon take less time and can overcook pretty quickly. You can even use chicken!

Mok Pa

Lao Mok Pa made with Tilapia. 

Mo Pa is a fragrant steamed fish made with fresh herbs like dill, lemongrass, kaffir leaves and garlic. It's a Lao dish that I grew up with, we ate it with sticky rice. Growing up I had Mok Pa made with catfish, but any white fish will do. I have used salmon, you can see in some of the pictures. Salmon needs less time to cook or it dries out, but it's good!

Roll Your Own Sushi Bar

YUM. We're big fans of sushi, the kids and I. Sometimes it takes too long for me to roll so many rolls. Roll your own/assemble your own sushi to the rescue. Yes, we could just throw it in a bow and Chirashi it, but this is fun also!

All you need are ingredients you like, we had-

Short grain rice. I mixed it with rice wine vinegar, water, and palm sugar. Sometimes I add soy sauce.

Sushi grade fish (We had salmon, I made a spicy salmon with it. Roe, salmon, sriracha, mayo. I didn't have green onion)

Crab stick

Cucumber

Avocado
Roe

Soy Wraps

Nori

Wasabi

Soy Sauce

Other ingredients, even non conventional ones as long as you like them!

Steak
Asparagus (pickled, fresh, blanched)
Pickled ginger

Sesame seeds

Brown rice

Sweet potatoes

Tempura pieces

Cooked fish

Steak (Cowboy roll anyone?)
Cream Cheese

Quail egg

Tamago

Spam

Carrot and other vegetables

Daikon

etc...

Below is a sashimi platter I had for lunch one day...


Another one below...

Chirashi Bowl

Sashimi Dinner

Tamago

April Fools Day "Sushi"

Bento Lunch
Bento Lunch

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Chirashi Bowl

Chirashi bowl with salmon, daikon, avocado, cucumber, longan, dragon fruit, and rambutan.

Isn't that a lovely Chirashi Bowl? I'm quite please with how it turned out. I know it's "just food" and it doesn't have to look pretty so everyone. But I really like it when you can "eat with your eyes" first. I don't really style my pictures when I take them. As in food styling. I don't blanch vegetables, then arrange them in a bowl of stir fry. I don't cool my food, or photograph it cold, if there's steam, there's steam. Spritz with water? Nope. I am just not that talented. I simply photograph a plate or bowl that I'm feeding to someone around here. Then pass it on to them to eat. But I still like to arrange everyone's food so it's appealing. I can see how some people thing it's silly, but I love doing it. It's fun for me. I love seeing the kids light up when something looks pretty or fun. It's the beginning of our meal together, I enjoy it, so why not?

Simple Salmon Salad

Isn't it funny how kids will surprise you with what they will and won't eat? Like up until a few months ago my girls would eat raw salmon, but not cooked. Now they all will eat cooked salmon, Pixie doesn't eat it raw. I admittedly am not a huge fan of cooked salmon, I'd much rather have it raw. Pixie also only eats "clean" mushrooms, not "dirty". Meaning she will eat raw mushrooms, but not cooked ones. Weird kids here at Give Peas A Chance. I didn't think the kids would like this simple salad at all. I don't know. For one I haven't bought canned salmon in years. Because no one eats it. I remember as a child my mom would take a can of sardines in tomato sauce. She added cilantro, onions, and I don't even know what else. It was so good though. SO thought, everything is better with fresh cilantro, let's try it.
The kids loved it. Not kidding. I made one can for myself and they each had a bite. I ended up using three cans total during lunch. So odd. I really enjoyed it also. Spicy, tart, fresh cilantro. YUM. We just had it over lettuce. I wonder if I made this for them to take to school if they would eat it? Or if this was a fluke?
PS Pixie can't handle the jalapenos so I leave them off of her salad.

Give Peas A Chance Salmon Salad

2 cans Wild Alaskan Salmon, drained well (6 ounces each)

Zest from one lime

Juice from one lime

Kosher salt

Fresh cracked pepper

1-2 jalapenos, chopped (seeded if you don't want it too spicy)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Mix- lime zest, half the lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper.

Toss the salmon gently with the lime dressing and jalapenos.
Taste salmon and adjust seasonings, salt, pepper, and lime juice.
Gently fold in cilantro.

Serve with crackers, on top of lettuce, in tomatoes, or just eat it!

-Check your Kosher salt, Diamond Crystal Kosher salt is the only one I've seen without additives. I was so frustrated when I glanced down at my blue box one day and saw that there wasn't just "salt" in there. Sigh.
- If you are making this ahead and want to store it in the refrigerator leave the cilantro out, and fold it in before serving.

- Sliced red onion would be good in this salad also.

Tilapia With Cilantro Ginger Sauce

This may be the best way to have Tilapia fillets. Granted I'm not  fish expert. I assess things by how my family eats and Pixie will eat 2/3 of a fillet - which is three servings for her. She isn't a big eater, so this is pretty much crazy, have to stop her stuff. Piglet and Diva have seconds usually also. Certainly a go to dish for me to make, it doesn't take long either.
I put together this Cilantro Ginger Sauce because every time we go to a certain Chinese restaurant (China Express, you can read the review through that link) in Chinatown here we puffy heart the ginger sauce. So I decided to make something like it. It's not the same because theirs has no lime and it's got a lot of vegetable oil in it. It's so good though. We stir it into stir fry, dip dumplings into it, stir it in to bowls of hand stretched noodles. YUM.

Roasted Tomato Basil Cod

A simple, yummy meal. Fragrant from the fresh basil, and the mango salsa gives texture and more flavor. I really need to get more of my fish recipes typed out and posted on here. Sigh.
The Cod is roasted with a pat of my homemade ghee and basil that I keep in my freezer. I just make the compound, and freeze it in an ice cube tray or in rolls. I also topped the Cod with cherry tomatoes.
Once roasted, the Cod is topped with Mango Salsa.
The Mango Salsa has mango, cucumber, cilantro, red bell pepper, garlic, salt, jalapeno, lime juice, and onion.
 Easy Peasy.
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Roasted Salmon with Asparagus Topped With A Poached Egg

This is such a simple meal but it's so good. You can poach the salmon or put it in the oven. Asparagus is in season so we're loving that. I used a Hiwa kai black salt to finish the dish.
No real recipe.
Blanch the asparagus, then put it in ice water. Drain and set it on the plate.
Salmon- I roasted this in the toaster oven with a little bit of ghee, salt, and pepper.
With the same water that I blanched the asparagus in, I poached the eggs.
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Red Curry Glazed Salmon

This is the easiest way to prepare salmon, I'm certain. Okay sashimi is debatable, but let's face it. I butcher salmon while a true sushi chef slices through the buttery pieces like a skilled painter painting his masterpiece on a canvas. I swoon. For shame. Sigh.
Moving on. This Salmon takes 3-4 ingredients. That's it. The salmon. A good curry paste- or make your own. Coconut milk. Red Boat. Or salt. That's it. It's so stinking simple it's silly. You don't even have to use the Red Boat or the salt if your curry paste is flavorful, which it should be with Kaffir leaves, Galangal, garlic, and onion! I made the spinach separately but I bet you could it in the same pan under the salmon. Try preparing your chicken this way also!
A note about store bought items

Red Boat- my favorite fish sauce, and Whole30, Paleo, Primal approved. No sugar in this baby!
Coconut milk- canned, unsweetened, I use Thai kitchen (Thaikitchen.com) . Again okay for Paleo, Primal, and Whole30.

Curry paste- Thai kitchen makes curry paste, that's just spices/herbs. No salt, no preservatives. Gluten free.  Another note about Thai Kitchen, they have dried Kaffir leaves, and dried Galangal root. Not the same as fresh, but I've dehydrated both of these before so why not?

More curry on Give Peas A Chance

Type in "curry" in the search box on the left for more!

All the ones posted here are Whole30, Paleo, Primal compliant.

Crock Pot Sweet Sticky Chicken

MMMM. Winner, Winner, (Crock Pot!!) Chicken Dinner! Every time I do something in the crock pot and I like it I want to shout it from the roof tops. Because the crock pot is my Kryptonite, one of many really. Many. But let's just focus on the crock pot.

This chicken is easy. I put it in the crock pot frozen, poured the sauce on top- which can be made the night before, and turned it on low. I did take these out of the crock pot and browned them under the broiler after I reduced the sauce/juices in the crock pot. It wasn't a huge deal and didn't take long.
Fresh ginger and garlic give this chicken flavor and spice. Black Soy sauce is thicker than regular soy, it's also got a different flavor to me. Almost... woody like mushrooms? If you can't find any, use regular soy sauce or coconut amnios.

Double the sauce if you'd like to pour some over rice. Speaking of this sauce it can be used to glaze salmon, on pork, on beef, to roast a chicken, or on turkey breasts. You can use it with tofu if you like also. I hope you like this GPAC recipe!

Crispy oven baked haddock

I love how tender, flaky and crispy this haddock is.  So GOOD and quick to make.  Perfect for a weeknight meal, but also wonderful for company. It can be served with a salad, salsas and any vegetables really.

Let's Get this Day 7

umm ok this whole day 1, 2 ... etc is kinda... boring. I may stop that, we'll see.

Breakfast -3 eggs, fried (not fruit or veggies- I was in a rush!)

Snack- cashews

I had a sliver of a whoopie pie at church and felt so sick after. ugh.

Lunch- tikka masala, palek paneer, raw mushrooms, tomatoes and bell peppers 

Dinner- This amazing grilled fish that I threw together, including the marinade and sauce! It was gooood. No grains, no gluten, no sugars- so good... fresh ginger, garlic, jalapenos, citrus juices, cilantro, NOM NOM. 

so it was grilled fish, grilled zucchini and grilled cabbage.

Bagel and Lox

The other day I had Nova Lox from Einstein's bagels (pictured below). Everything bagel, cream cheese, capers,  tomato and cold smoked salmon. I love salmon two ways- sashimi/raw or cold smoked. I don't really prefer it cooked or hot smoked. It changes the flavor to me. I could eat bagels and lox anytime of the day. I brought some bagels home so I could make my own bagels and lox.
Everything bagel with cream cheese, capers and smoked salmon
Tomatoes and cucumber with Hiwa Kai black salt
Blueberries and blackberries
Easy peasy

Basa in parchment

Basa in parchment... Linky to the method here.

Fish Snacks

I don't read Japanese. I saw these at the store and thought I'd get them for the girls. They love dried squid so I thought eh why not. They are dried and have sesame, soy and sugar. I didn't try one. My oldest and youngest girls really liked them.

Chaotic balance.

Our power was out for over 24 hours. It was so hot, I didn't even want to grill, move, cook (gas stove) or anything.  So we had some tuna, cheese, tomatoes and olive salt on crackers for lunch. Piglet and I love this olive salt, it's so GOOD. It was funny we were eating and I looked over at the Olive salt... with the baby spoon in it. This folks, is my life. A gourmet foodie item with a baby spoon in it. I love it. There is a chaotic balance if you will. A little bit of epicurean froo froo goodness mixed in with sticky fingers, sippy cups, goldfish crackers and little faces to wipe up. A plate of salmon sashimi on a child's pink plate enamel that says "princess" on it. Sitting down to a bowl of sashimi chirashi and every other bite your one year old sticks her hand in your bowl picking out salmon roe because it's her favorite. Sometimes just trying to sit through a meal without getting up to refill a milk 20 times or wipe a spill is a miracle. But it's still somehow perfect. There's a balance of wanna be foodie and drive through craziness. Perhaps that's an oxymoron to some- chaotic balance. To me it's the sweet life. Who say's you can't have it all?

Lunch was so good. Kind of like a long day out in the woods coming back to the campfire good. OK not THAT good, but scavenger good, if that makes sense. Piglet decided that the olive salt was good on her fruit salad too. I don't blame her, I love it on strawberries.

Ginger Garlic Broccoli Rabe and Steamed Flounder all in ONE pan.

You can use almost any fish you'd like. Broccoli rabe, bok choy, mustard greens etc. A hardy sturdy green is best.

Easy and only one pan to wash? Bring it.

Parmesan Broiled Basa Fillets

DH and I really liked this dish! The older girls thought it was OK, they said they liked their fish in parchment better. Pixie girl, who's 15 months now :-0, thought it was de-lish also. So we will be having this again. Check out the optional almond meal topping also!